Man, Somebody Tell that Kid to Shut up - YPAR Implementation at a Rural, Alternative School in the Deep South

Oct 15, 2026

This paper examines the implementation of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) at a rural, alternative high school in Alabama. Students differed from many typical YPAR descriptions: they were predominantly White, working- and middle-class, and lived in rural neighborhoods far from the school. Data from observations, surveys on community engagement, focus groups and interviews, and class artifacts are organized across youth perspectives on community (including feelings of (dis)empowerment and cynicism) and researchers’ reflections on how the initiative’s implementation (mis)aligned with YPAR literature.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Field notes setting and research purpose

Related Literature

Core principles and outcomes of YPAR

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| “Man, Somebody Tell that Kid to Shut up”: YPAR Implementation at a Rural,
Alternative School in the Deep South | | --- | --- | Hannah Carson Baggett & Carey E. Andrzejewski, Auburn University Abstract This paper explores the implementation of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) ata rural, alternative high school in Alabama. Students at the school were atypical from those usually described in the YPAR literature in that they were predominately white, working and middle class, and lived in rural neighborhoods that were geographically removed from their school. Data included observational field notes, responses to survey items that explore conceptions of community engagement, focus group and individual interviews, and artifacts from the YPAR class. We organize our findings along two domains. The first focuses on youth perspectives about community, including the ways these perspectives did not foster a sense of collective action and how youths felt (dis)empowered and cynical about community involvement. The second includes our reflections on the development and implementation of this YPAR initiative and explores how this implementation was (mis)aligned with the extant literature on YPAR. Keywords: Youth Participatory Action Research; Reflective Practice; Alternative Schools; Rural Schools Introduction We turn off the main four-lane highway onto a county road. We stop at the railroad crossing and, to the right, is an antique store. Rusty wrought iron outdoor furniture and vintage signs populate the exterior of the store. On a picnic table set, we see a figurine of a painted black boy in blue overalls who is seated, fishing. We make another left onto the crumbling road where the school is located. The porch of the first old house holds unpainted figurines like the ones sitting outside the antique store. We surmise that these are new, ‘old ’ figurines that speak to the area’s racist past and present. We wonder what Camden, 1 as the only African American student in our class, thinks of these figurines, or if he’s noticed them. A few houses down, we see an expansive yard that boasts two large signs: a “Choose Cruz”official campaign sign, next to another, homemade Cruz sign that says “Cruz will abolish the IRS!.” So many potholes—this road could use some tax dollars. There is another dirt 1. All names are pseudonyms. road that has been gated off, with multiple flood lights perched at the gate’s closure. Perhaps they are lit up at night? As we make the turn into the school’s parking lot and stop the car, we see David drive up in his huge truck with the CB antenna out the back. He has a“Salt Life” sticker on the back of the truck, with some other hunting logos. When we first interviewed him last week, he talked about hunting and fishing with his buddy, Howard.(Field Notes, 2016) This excerpt from field notes, taken in spring of 2016, provides a snapshot of the day-to-day setting of the school, and sets the stage for our work implementing Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) programming at an alternative high school in rural Alabama. The purpose of this paper is to detail an empirical study that explored the implementation of YPAR projects at the school. Explicitly, we worked to understand youth perspectives about the nature of community and community engagement as reflected in their contributions to class and their research projects. Implicitly, we explored the ways that critical research and pedagogy intersected in our work (Lozenski, 2016) . Namely, we queried our efforts to implement and facilitate YPAR in an atypical school context, with particular focus on engaging students in meaningful research and action in and about their communities. In the following sections, we first review the literature regarding YPAR and its implementation. Next, we describe our positional and epistemological orientationsto the project and the students. Finally, we detail the ways in which our students differed from

FAQs

What does the paper investigate about YPAR in a rural alternative high school?

It details an empirical study of how YPAR projects were implemented and how youth perspectives on community and engagement were reflected in class contributions and research projects.

How did the students in this school differ from those typically described in YPAR research?

They were predominantly White, working and middle class, and lived in rural neighborhoods geographically removed from the school.

What kinds of data were collected to understand YPAR implementation and youth perspectives?

The study used observational field notes, survey responses about conceptions of community engagement, focus groups and individual interviews, and artifacts from the YPAR class.

Oct 15, 2026

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